Barbra: The Way She Is

She is a one-name legend, a global icon, the ultimate diva. Yet most of what we know about Barbra Joan Streisand is the stuff of caricature: the Brooklyn girl made good, the ugly duckling who blossomed into a modern-day Nefertiti, the political dilettante driving to the barricades in her Rolls-Royce,

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Overview

"Funny, I don't feel like a legend."
-- Barbra Streisand

She is a one-name legend, a global icon, the ultimate diva. Yet most of what we know about Barbra Joan Streisand is the stuff of caricature: the Brooklyn girl made good, the ugly duckling who blossomed into a modern-day Nefertiti, the political dilettante driving to the barricades in her Rolls-Royce, the Oscar-winning actress and bona fide movie mogul, the greatest female singer who ever lived, a skinflint, a philanthropist, a connoisseur and a barbarian, the woman whose physical characteristics are instantly identifiable around the planet -- the tapered nails, those slightly crossed eyes, that nose, the voice.

Even to the multitudes around the world who idolize her, Streisand remains aloof, unknowable, tantalizingly beyond reach. Until now. In the manner of his #1 New York Times bestsellers The Day Diana Died and The Day John Died as well as Jack and Jackie, Jackie After Jack, An Affair to Remember, and Sweet Caroline, Christopher Andersen taps into important sources -- eyewitnesses to Streisand's remarkable life and career -- to paint a startling portrait of the artist . . . and the woman. Among the revelations:

Surprising new details about her wedding and marriage to James Brolin.

A provocative inside account of what really went on between Streisand and Bill Clinton in the White House, what their relationship is like today, and how Hillary feels about Barbra.

From Funny Girl and The Way We Were to Yentl and The Prince of Tides -- and in the recording sessions that produced some of the biggest hits in music history -- new behind-the-scenes details of the brilliance, the obsessive drive for perfection, and the Callas-sized ego.

New insights into Barbra's relationship with her only child, Jason.

Whether you love her, hate her, or are simply spellbound by her titanic talent, Barbra is one thing above all others: a true American original.

Editorial Reviews

Christopher Andersen, the author of The Day Diana Died and The Day John Died, now turns his spotlight on the multitalented legend Barbra Streisand. The credentials of the singer/actress are unparalleled: To date, she has garnered 2 Oscars, 6 Emmys, 10 Grammys, 11 Golden Globes, a Tony, and the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. But despite all this acclaim, and sometimes because of it, Streisand's career has been mired in personal, professional, and political controversy. Barbra's larger-than-life personality and her guarded private life make an ideal subject for a master of the craft like Christopher Andersen.

Library Journal

Jack, Jackie, Diana, Diana's boys, John Lennon, and George and Laura-Andersen would have to follow up his parade of subjects with an icon like Barbra Streisand. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

New York Times Book Review

“[Andersen] has a knack for ferreting out memorable anecdotes of the ‘no wire hangers’ variety.”

Al Roker

“The book reads like buttah!”

People Magazine

"Readers who can’t get enough of Streisand will lap [this up]..."

People

“Readers who can’t get enough of Streisand will lap [this up]...”

New York Post

“A scandalicious new bio packed with fresh dirt on the world’s most reclusive diva.”

Read an Excerpt

Barbra

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Chapter One

"What?" Barbra Streisand blurted into the phone, her voice hovering somewhere between anguish and resignation. "So he'll be in China?" She had given concerts that raised millions for him and his party, despite paralyzing stage fright and her own abiding fear that someday she would be assassinated onstage. She had defended him against charges that now threatened to topple his presidency. She had not put up a fight when Hillary Clinton, furious that Streisand had been an overnight guest of her husband's at the White House while the First Lady was at her dying father's bedside in Arkansas, reportedly banned Barbra from staying at the Executive Mansion. And while speculation ran rampant about the true nature of her relationship with the President, Streisand gallantly held her tongue. She had even befriended his mother, and consoled him following her death from breast cancer in 1994.

After all Barbra had done for him -- and had been through with him -- Bill Clinton had no intention of altering the dates of his nine-day visit to China so that he could attend her wedding to James Brolin. Nor was there any point in postponing the ceremony in hopes of catching Clinton on his way back from China; thePresident was simply "unavailable."

It came as less of a surprise that Hillary, who had always been suspicious of Barbra's motives in cozying up to Bill, also turned down the invitation. As it happened, both the First Lady and First Daughter Chelsea Clinton would also be heading for China at the end of June 1998. There was one Clinton who would be attending Barbra's wedding: Bill's little brother Roger, a failed rocker who once did prison time for selling cocaine.

"She was disappointed, of course," said an Arkansas friend of the Clintons, "but I think she understood that there was no way Bill could postpone that trip to China, even for her." Barbra was not about to complain directly to the President. She had other ways of coping with disappointment; she took her frustrations out on the hired help -- and, whenever possible, on the press.

July 1, 1998 Malibu

A squadron of press helicopters churned high above Malibu's Point Dume, the din from their rotors competing with the relentless banshee shriek of White Zombie's "Thunder Kiss 65." It was not enough that reporters were held back by barricades fifty yards down the road from the sprawling Mediterranean-style estate. On Barbra's orders, a large black van equipped with gigantic speakers was parked within a few feet of the barricades, blasting heavy metal so that it was virtually impossible for television reporters to file their stories. Neighbors seethed, but no matter: The black van was parked far enough away so as not to disturb the mistress of the house, or her guests.

"Can they do this?" she had pleaded to anyone who would listen. "Can they fly over my house like that and take pictures of my goddamned wedding?" Legally, reporters were well within their rights to do so -- as long as the helicopters did not descend below what was considered a safe altitude of five hundred feet.

Still, Streisand publicist Dick Guttman had warned them to keep their distance so "sacred vows can be heard." Since the press was not about to comply, Barbra decided the earsplitting White Zombie counterattack was her only recourse. While hapless reporters shouted into their microphones, straining to be heard over the mayhem outside, beefy, grim-faced security guards in dark suits and sunglasses manned the front entrance of Streisand's estate, matching names to lists, checking badges, and muttering into walkie-talkies. They were just part of the sixty-member security force hired to police the property as if it were a U.S. embassy under siege.

Behind the walls of the embattled compound, another, even larger army of floral arrangers, musicians, bartenders, cooks, busboys, waitresses, handymen, and parking valets scurried about as they prepared to man their posts. At the center of it all, the tiny figure in bathrobe and slippers strode purposefully down one of the brick walkways that snaked across the grounds, trailing a hand-wringing cadre of caterers and gardeners in her wake. It had been two years to the day since she first met veteran television star James Brolin, and Barbra Streisand wanted nothing less for their wedding than she wanted for every other project she undertook: perfection.

While she had played the part -- most memorably as Fannie Brice camping it up onstage during the pregnant-bride sequence in Funny Girl ("I am the beautiful reflection of my love's affection . . .") -- Barbra had never had a real wedding of her own. Her 1963 marriage to actor Elliott Gould had been performed by a justice of the peace in Carson City, Nevada. This time, Brolin, fully aware that his fiancee had felt cheated, was urging Barbra to pull out the stops. The groom's disarming naivete notwithstanding, Barbra was more sensitive to the perception of any fifty-six-year-old woman -- much less one of the world's most famous, wealthy, and powerful ones -- trying to play the blushing bride. It was a daunting assignment, but one that Barbra believed she could pull off. There was only one requirement: that everyone do exactly what she told them to do.

Control. It was the one thing Barbra Streisand had sought to assert, with varying degrees of success, in every facet of her life. Control over her art and, by extension, over her career -- over the music she recorded, the movies she made, the concerts she gave. Control over her fortune -- now estimated at more than $120 million -- and total command of all that that entailed: the details of every clause in every contract, of every share of stock purchased, of every acre acquired, of every dollar doled out to charity. Control of her environment, right down to the subtle gradations of color in the roses grown at her sprawling Malibu estate. Control over her own psyche, though after more than thirty years of therapy, that seemed as elusive as ever. Control over her spirituality, rooted in Judaism and a yearning to connect with a father she never knew.

What People are Saying About This

Al Roker

“The book reads like buttah!”

Meet the Author

Christopher Andersen is the critically acclaimed author of twenty-eight books, which have been translated into more than twenty-five languages worldwide. A former contributing editor of Time magazine and senior editor of People magazine, Andersen has also written hundreds of articles for a wide range of publications, including Life magazine, the New York Times, and Vanity Fair.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

One word nicely sums up Barbra Streisand: PERFECTIONIST. This book offers a revealing look at her as an unloved, ugly duckling child raised by a coldhearted mother and a cruel stepfather. As a result, Barbra sets lofty goals to become an actress/singer and win attention from the general public. She has many hurdles to overcome but her tenacity and incredible singing voice eventually attract the agents and theater people who are able to launch her career. Slowly she begins to collect a steady group of fans but when fate intervenes she is awarded the Broadway role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl and a star is born. The author is very detailed about her personality, her attitudes and her very strong opinions. He delves into every detail of her personal life and portrays her as promiscious, overly ambitious and a skinflint. These traits have made her a reputation as being hard to work with and many Hollywood bigwigs flatly refuse to do so. This book has left me with the impression that Ms. Streisand is a self-centered egomaniac. She has suffered many personal disappointments in her life but professionally she has achieved super stardom. At 67 she has mellowed and now lives quielty off the Pacific coast with her husband, James Brolin. For fans of B. Stresand, I would definately recommend this book.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

The book was good but I was a little disappointed at the end. It was brief on her marriage and dwelled too much in the Bill Clinton bashing. I'm also am an avid fan and enjoyed some new stories but did not like the negative remarks the author made about her. I would read it if you don't know much about her but I have read almost every book and was not much more informed. I keep listening to her music.